Survey of Wild Food Plants for Human Consumption in Karaisalı (Adana-Turkey)
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Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 17(2), April 2018, pp. 290-298 Survey of wild food plants for human consumption in Karaisalı (Adana-Turkey) Suzan Güneş1, Ahmet Savran2, Mehmet Yavuz Paksoy3* & Uğur Çakılcıoğlu4 1,2Ömer Halisdemir University, Arts and Sciences Faculty of Biology, Niğde 51100, Turkey; 3Munzur University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Enviromental Engineering, Tunceli 62100, Turkey; 4Munzur University, Pertek Sakine Genç Vocational School, Pertek, Tunceli 62500, Turkey E-mail: [email protected] Received 01 August 2017, revised 18 September 2017 This study identified not only the wild plants collected for food purposes by local people of Karaisalı County in the Mediterranean Region, but also the uses and local names of these plants. Field study was carried out over a period of approximately 2 years (2008–2010). During this period, 76 vascular plant specimens were collected. Demographic characteristics of participants, vernacular plant names, edible parts and utilization methods of the plants were investigated and recorded. In the scope of the study, the plant species were collected; herbarium materials were prepared; and the specimens were entitled. In addition, the use-value of the species was determined and was calculated for the food plants included in the study. A total of 76 food plants belonging to 30 families were identified in the region. The most common families are: Asteraceae (12 plants), Lamiaceae (10 plants), Rosaceae (9 plants), Polygonaceae (5 plants), Apiaceae (4 plants). The study showed that the plants used are either eaten raw or ripe, cooked as vegetable dish, consumed as jam, consumed as coffee, as spice, frying in oil or baked to be served as dishes such as stew, pie made by roasting the leaves, prepared sour souce is added to food. During this ethnobotanical research, it was verified that wild edible plants play an important role in diet in Karaisalı. We examined whether the plants used had literature records or not. Varied usages of a number of plants have been recorded for the first time by us. Tree of those plant are endemic. The plant flora of Karaisalı is threatened by such factors as grazing, expansion of new agricultural lands, and unsustainable picking of plants to generate income. Steps should be taken immediately to ensure the inclusion of relevant flora within conservation designations. Keywords: Wild food plants, Ethnobotany, Karaisalı, Adana, Turkey IPC Int. Cl.8:A61K 36/00, A47J 39/02, A47G 19/26 Plants and products of plants have always had therefore, the social differentiations in nutrition. meaning in many aspects of human life1. Traditional Along with cultural and socio-economic development, knowledge of plants and their properties has always attitudes toward wild food sources are changing. For a been transmitted from generation to generation long period after the sixties of the last century, the use through the natural course of everyday life. However, of wild edible plants was considered a sign of poverty the continuation of this knowledge is endangered and low social status5. when transmission between the older and younger Turkey hosts more than 3000 endemic plant generation is no longer assured2. It is known that wild species, have high diversity of other taxa, and is plants are richer in minerals compared to cultivated almost entirely covered by three of the world’s ones. The study of nutrient composition of such plants 34 biodiversity hotspots6. During the past decade, has become common in different parts of world3. several studies have systematically analyzed the Wild edible flora did not play a major role in the consumption and gathering of wild edible plants and population’s survival in ancient times. Wild edible medicinal plants in Turkey7-16. plants may satisfy the daily human need for Such research is crucial because documentation of elementary nutrition sources, particularly those of the indigenous knowledge through ethnobotanical vitamins C&A, and for some minerals, according to studies is important for the conservation and WHO regulations4. The use of wild plants by the utilization of biological resources17. The majority of population reflects the social structure of society and, Turkish people living in rural areas traditionally use 18 —————— plants for nourishment and medical purposes . This *Corresponding author study identified not only the wild collected for food GÜNEŞ et al.: SURVEY OF WİLD FOOD PLANTS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTİON İN KARAİSALI 291 purposes by local people of Karaisalı County in the East, Yüreğir and Seyhan in the South, Tarsus and Mediterranean Region, but also conducted to serve as Pozantı in the West and Aladağ districts in the a source for scientists for the purpose of determining North. Karaisalı County is located between 37°, 13.8’ the nutritional value of edible wild plants by North latitudes and 35° 3.0’ East longitudes.While a comparing information obtained in ethnobotany part of the district terrain is very mountainy and studies, and researching the safety of the use of woody, another part is a little rough or flat. these plants. No previous floristic and wild food Especially Akdağ, Cilgurliz Mountain, Susuz plants studies are reported to have been conducted Mountain, Köpek Mountain and Barak Mountain are in Karaisalı. among the important hills above the Taurus mountains. There are also plateaus between these mountains Materials and methods like Kızıldağ, Kaltak and Tereli. In the district which mainly comprises of mountainousand woody terrains, Study area The study area is located of West of Anatolian the community is generally engaged in agriculture, diagonal of the Mediterranean Region. Karaisalı stockbreeding and forestry. Karaisalı has chromium, (Fig. 1) is included in Mediterranean Plant Geography iron, copper, lead, and rich lignite deposits. Region and falls within the C5 grid square according Interviews with local people to the Grid classification system used in the Flora of 19 Interviews were made on the busy hours of the Turkey . common areas (bazaars, gardens, tea houses, etc.) According to the data obtained from the website of visited by the citizens of Karaisalı County and its Wikipedia (https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaisalı) the villages. 55 persons above the age of 27 were county has a surface area of 1517 km2 and an interviewed. The experiences of the local people were elevation of 250 m. Karaisalı is a district of Adana recorded with a voice recorder during the interviews. province above the Taurus Mountains in the The respondents of the questionnaire are Turkish Mediterranean region. The locality hosted communities citizens. Mean age of the respondents was 53 yrs. A of different cultures throughout the history. It became a questionnaire was administered to the local people, district in 1835. It is surrounded by İmamoğlu in the through face-to-face interviews (Appendix A) (Fig. 2). During the interviews, demographic characteristics of the study participants, and local names, edible parts and utilization methods of the plants were recorded. The people who participated in the study were requested to indicate the wild plants they used. Plant materials A field study was carried out over a period of approximately 2 yrs (2008–2010). During this period, Fig. 2(a-f)—Interviews with native people; (a), Smyrnium connatum; (b), Arum dioscoridis; (c), Echinops ritro; (d), Sideritis bilgerana; Fig. 1—Geographical location of the study area (e), Potentilla speciosa; f, Cerasus avium 292 INDIAN J TRADIT KNOWLE, VOL. 17, NO. 2, APRIL 2018 information about food use of 76 wild plants was parts, and utilization methods and use-value of the collected. The plants were pressed in the field and food plants used in Karaisalı are given in Table 1. prepared for identification. The plants collected Interviews with the local people living in Karaisalı within the scope of the study were identified by the Country and villages indicated that 76 plants were authors (Savran and Paksoy, Ph.D). Plants were used for food purposes in the study area. According to identified using the standard text, “Flora of Turkey the results, the largest 5 plants families are: and the East Aegean Islands”19,20 and were compared Asteraceae (12 plants), Lamiaceae (10 plants), with the specimens in Nigde University Herbarium Rosaceae (9 plants), Polygonaceae (5 plants), (NH). The plant samples were stored in NH. The Apiaceae (4 plants). Aerial parts, bulb, flowers, fruits, names of plant families were listed in alphabetic leaves, rhizome, roots, seeds and stems are used as order. Scientific names of plant species were food. Local people were recorded to make food identified according to the International Plant Name preparations by using wild plants for nutrition Index (http://www.ipni.org). In addition, the medical purposes via simple methods. The utilization methods uses of these plants were compiled from the literature. included eaten raw, eaten ripened, cooked vegetable We examined whether the plants used in had dish, consumed as jam, consumed as coffee, as spice, literature records or not (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. frying in oil or baked to be served as dishes such as gov/pubmed/ and https://www.google.com.tr/). stew, pie made by roasting the leaves, prepared sour souce is added to food. In general, wild food plants Calculations of surveyed plants are used uncooked and without any processing, by 21 The use value , a quantitative method that preparing salads from them. demonstrates the relative importance of species In a study carried out in Çatak (Van), it was found known locally, was also calculated according to the out that plants belonging to the families of Apiaceae following formula: (15 plants), Asteraceae (13 plants), Rosaceae (10 plants), UV = U/N, Amaryllidaceae (4 plants), Fabaceae (4 plants), Polygonaceae (4 plants)25, and Fabaceae (10), Asteraceae where UV refers to the use value of a species; U to (9), Rosaceae (6), Salicaceae (4) Brassicaceae, Poaceae, the number of citations per species; and N to the and Liliaceae (3) in Üzümlü26 are widely used by number of informants.